


The Best Part of Waking Up

by LdyAnne



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Challenge Response, Community: mcsmooch, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-05
Updated: 2011-11-05
Packaged: 2017-10-25 17:28:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/272902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LdyAnne/pseuds/LdyAnne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney really hates getting up before dawn, but sometimes he'll make an exception</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Part of Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the mcsmooch community on LJ. Thanks to my awesome beta, chocolatephysicist

The day started like most days on Atlantis.

Rodney had barely just gotten to bed after averting the last near-death crisis. He blearily lifted his head and groped on the table next to his bed for the clock when the chime pulled him from sleep. 4:40 a.m. - the clock blinked at him in mocking red numbers.

It wasn't even dawn and Rodney was being summoned for the next crisis. At least there'd better be a crisis if they were pulling Rodney out of his bed at this un-godly time of the morning. The sun wasn't even up yet.

The door buzzed again, he could swear the volume went up.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," he shouted at the door, at whoever was leaning on the door chime.

Rodney rolled out of bed with a groan. He cursed as he stumbled over the shoes lying in the middle of the room - where he'd left them lying when he'd stumbled into his room and rolled into bed.

"What?" he demanded irritably of whoever was on the other side of the door.

It slid aside to reveal John standing on the other side. John, who was looking too good for the obscene time of the morning that it was.

He leaned against the door smirking at Rodney, "What? Did you forget we were going for a flying lesson this morning?"

Rodney blinked at him, his brain struggling to catch up with the fact that he was upright and un caffeinated. "Wha?" he stuttered blankly. "Flying?"

John took a step into the room neatly avoiding the shoes that had tripped Rodney. "You remember." At Rodney's blank look he continued in an exaggeratedly patient tone, "You said we had to go early because you had a lot of work today and you wouldn't have time the rest of the day."

Rodney rubbed a hand over his face, trying to recall the conversation.

Sheppard had come by the lab the night before, he remembered that. He'd said something about a movie and beer but Rodney had been deep into calculations to prevent the city from falling back to the bottom of the ocean, without the shield to keep all the air in this time. Rodney knew for a fact that death by drowning was not a good way to die. He had pretty much thrown John out, telling him to come back, 'when you can contribute, until then stay the hell away.'

Rodney kind of wondered if John was taking him flying now so he could break up with him and throw him out of the jumper midflight. It would serve him right. Even he had to admit he'd been an asshole to Sheppard last night.

"Listen," he mumbled, "about last night..."

"Forget it, Rodney," John said easily, and he even sounded like he meant it. "I know that you're busy and you won't always have time for me."

Rodney stared at him, mouth open in astonishment. Sure he'd always wanted other people to feel that way, they just never had.

"It's okay," Sheppard insisted again. He grinned at Rodney and his half-dressed state. "Listen, I'll run by the mess hall and get some coffee and breakfast. I'll meet you in the jumper bay."

Then he was gone, leaving Rodney to wonder if he'd dreamed the entire thing. Except he was awake and there wasn't any sign of daylight outside his window.

He sighed then trudged into the bathroom to brush his teeth and shower. While he didn't think he really needed a flying lesson – he flew well enough to get home to Atlantis in an emergency; spending time with Shephard was reason enough to get up at the ass-crack of dawn.

~~~~~

Shephard was waiting for him in the jumper 20 minutes later, a travel mug of coffee in one hand, a bag in the other.

Ignoring him, Rodney snatched the coffee and the bag, shoving past Sheppard. He settled in the co-pilot's chair. He tipped up the coffee mug and let out a little moan at the heavenly beverage

Sheppard followed him settling into his place. "Morning, sunshine," he sing songed, his smirk firmly in place.

Rodney refused to answer him. Sheppard may be the love of his life, but this had better be good. Rodney didn't get up before dawn for anyone. He rummaged through the bag to pull out the muffin Sheppard had brought him. Rodney couldn't believe that it was one of the cheesecake muffins that he loved almost more than coffee. He pinched off a bit and popped it into his mouth.

"Oh, that's good," he let another moan.

"Careful, Rodney, I'm going to get jealous," Sheppard cautioned. He maneuvered the jumper up through the opening in the roof rising effortlessly into the predawn sky.

There was a feeling of anticipation as they rose, the horizon just touched with the hint of dawn.

Sheppard took his time, circling the city, Rodney watching the view in rapt awe. Despite the danger they experienced in the Pegasus Galaxy, he never got tired of seeing his beautiful city. Right now it was shrouded in pre-dawn shadows, but soon it would be bathed in the sun's glow, its spires and towers gleaming gold.

They sped over the dark water. Rodney remembered its depths and shivered, he took a sip of the steaming coffee he held, letting it wash away the memory of the time he'd spent at the bottom of the ocean. He'd been certain that he was going to die, alone and forgotten. He'd actually been surprised to be rescued, surprised to find out later from Zelenka that it had been Sheppard who had spear headed the effort to rescue Rodney, Sheppard who had been single minded in his determination to bring Rodney home.

Rodney *knew* he was valuable to the city and the expedition. He knew that he was necessary to their survival. He'd never been necessary to a person before.

It had been the night that Carson had released Rodney from the infirmary that John had first come to him. They'd spent the night together, nestled together in Rodney's little bed, while John told Rodney how important he was. Not in words. Sheppard wasn't always so good with words. But he was very good with action, and Rodney was good with that.

They rose in the night sky until the city was just a shimmer on the water below them. The jumper came to a halt facing the horizon where the first light of day could be seen. Gold was spilling out over the water, staining it with fingers of streaming light. The sky was filled with pinks and purples, shading into the midnight blue that was the last vestige of night.

"I thought we were having a flying lesson?" Rodney asked. He knew that wasn't what this was, but he had to say something, Sheppard was being so damn mysterious about it all.

Just at that moment the sun rose over the horizon, golden light flooding the cabin of the jumper. Rodney almost felt like he was being filled with sunshine. He felt buoyant and a little giddy.

"It's beautiful, John," he said, entranced with the view outside their window.

"Happy anniversary," John said quietly, smiling over at Rodney.

Rodney went still as the realization went through him that it was a month to the day since he'd been released by Carson, since John had come to him, and they'd started their... whatever it was they had. Rodney didn't want to put a name to it, because once they had a relationship there would be expectations and disappointments and too soon John would get tired of him. Everyone did. And Rodney didn't know if he'd be able to stand that. So he just enjoyed whatever it was they had and tried not to want more.

He turned to John to find him watching Rodney, a soft smile on his face.

"Are we celebrating anniversaries?" Rodney asked carefully, not sure how to ask what he really wanted to ask.

John set the jumper on automatic pilot. Then he rose, crossing the space between them in a single step. He stood staring down at Rodney for a heartbeat before leaning down and kissing Rodney.

Rodney would never get tired of John's kisses – his mouth was warm and inviting, giving Rodney everything. He cupped Rodney's face with one hand and slid the other back to tilt Rodney's head a little, to just that perfect angle. Rodney moaned, pulling at John until he was practically sitting in Rodney's lap, the cramped space not really conducive to what they were doing, but neither one was willing to pull away.

When they finally needed to breathe, John rested his forehead against Rodney,'s. "Yeah," he said, his voice low and rough, "we're celebrating every single anniversary – the first time we met, the first time I shot you, the first time you almost died." His voice broke then and he pressed his face into the crook of Rodney's neck. "You realize that you're stuck with me, right?" he murmured.

"Yeah, yeah," Rodney stroked his back, his arm, the nape of his neck, anywhere he could reach. "I think I'm getting that."

"You okay with that?" John whispered.

Rodney nodded; he pulled John's face around needing to kiss him again, needing to kiss him for the rest of his life.

"Yeah," Rodney whispered, "for this I can get up early."

  



End file.
